Neurological Theories (bio)

Question 1

What are the two types of NEUROLOGICAL theories?

Answer 1

Neurophysiological (brain abnormality), Neurochemical (foods and substances)

Question 2

What is the neurophysiological theory? By who?

Answer 2

Study by Adrian Raine suggests there is a connection between brain abnormality and criminal behaviour.

Question 3

What is the neurochemical theory?

Answer 3

foods and their substances, such steroids and alcohol contain chemicals that can affect
human behaviour and criminality. A review of research findings was done by alexander Schauss (1981).

Question 4

What methods did Adrian Raine use?

Answer 4

Adrian used PET scans to study the brains of living killers, he found several differences in different areas including the pre-frontal cortex which controls impulsive behaviour. He used 41 American prisoners and matched them with 41 ‘normal people’. 6 of the prisoners were schizophrenic and 23 had suffered head injuries the schizophrenics were matched with schizophrenic people from the general population.

Question 5

How does the case of Phineas Gage (1848) support Raine’s neurophysiological theory?

Answer 5

He endured a brain injury which led to his personality changing making him no longer himself and unable to return to his previous job on the railroads because he had endured such a big change to himself.

Question 6

Describe the study by Gesch et al. (2002) to prove the neurochemical theory.

Answer 6

He found that providing vitamin supplements to convicted criminals reduced ‘disciplinary incidents’ in a prison by 35%. They gave 231 adult male prisoners either a daily vitamin-mineral-fatty-acid supplement or a placebo (‘dummy’ pill). The ‘disciplinary incidents per 1000 person days’ for the group who had the supplements decreased by 35%-
and violent incidents by 37%. There was also a drop in the incidents by members of the group that received the placebo, but it was only 6.7%.